Today we're
celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany. The church bases this liturgical season
on Matthew's introduction to the magi, the only scriptural reference to these
folks who appear and worship, and go home by another route.
Interestingly,
most of our concept of these folks is based culturally, not biblically. Matthew
never tells us they were 'kings;' we don't know how many there were, or what
their names were. We don't know where they came from, or how long it took them,
how safe it was, or how often they wanted to give up, or how many were with
them... we don't know. We have more questions than answers about these people's
backstory.
On the other
hand, the bible tells us *so* much about their faith, and their ministry and
experience of Jesus.
They were
magi: an important and carefully chosen word for Matthew to use. Magi it connotes a highly respected
religious figure, with wisdom that transcended the earthly. These 'wise men
from the East' acted as foreign dignitaries, with credentials sufficient to
meet Herod in person. Herod, a bully and fear-monger, who has named his capital
city after himself, and is actively trying to eradicate the minority 'others'
in his society (including Mary and Joseph).
It is to his
palace that the wise men show up, after a journey full of physical, emotional,
and spiritual challenges, coming with expensive gifts NOT for Herod, but for a
child he likely hasn't even heard of, or cared about. These men recognise
Jesus' authority over Herod's, which can destabilise future foreign relations,
leaving Herod and his people feeling threatened.
How's that
for a journey of faith? These magi had the confidence in God to listen to the
Spirit, to recognise the star for its mystical truths, and be led by the Spirit
to where they were meant to be. They left everything behind them, because of
the star... and what it meant: for them, and for the world.
They knew
that this star was the light of God, calling them to make the journey. It's not
unlike what Paul says: "the mystery made known by revelation" to
understand the mystery of Christ, through whom by faith we "have access to
God in boldness and confidence."
These men
were willing to risk all their earthly comforts and traditions because they
KNEW that God was doing something amazing - and that they were a part of it.
They saw the star at its rising. They took time to think and pray and discern -
and they decided to go. And whatever we don't know about them, doesn't matter.
What does
matter is what Matthew tells us. They were looking for the light of God. They
were listening to the guidance of the Spirit. They had the faith to follow the star,
and they came to Jesus.
They
trusted: they believed the words of Isaiah! They knew that the light of God was
shining - ON THEM! And that they were going to see the glory of the Lord all
around them. They could feel, deep within themselves, deeper than could be
explained, that the prophesy was being fulfilled. And they knew this because
they always believed, and they never gave up looking.
We know that
where the Spirit leads us is where we will find God. And we will know that it
is right, because it will leave us overwhelmed with joy. It doesn't necessarily
mean earthly happiness - but the deep, God-given, life-giving joy of the Lord
that will shine through us all.
And when we
have submitted to that joy, we can't help but to live out the pure, surprising
delight that Isaiah speaks of. "ARISE! SHINE! Your light has come!"
God gives us
all our own pathways, inviting us on our own journeys to find and worship and
celebrate Jesus. The light shines - a little bit differently for each of us -
but it shines. It *always* shines. Inviting us to continue our journey, to be
blissfully changed by it. And to respond to the world by then acting to share
that light all the more. 'Arise and SHINE!' Isaiah says, not 'sit comfortably
and receive'. Go out and give the light of God! Be delighted and be a delight
in the glory of God that is for all people!
So our
reflection opportunity is to learn from the example of the magi, and to apply
this to our own lives. Where is the light of God shining now? How are we
keeping our eyes and hearts open to recognise the glory of God shining all
around us? What are we prepared to do in order to follow that light, in our own
journey of faith, where it leads us ever closer to Jesus?
I firmly
believe that God is always inviting us to find Jesus in the world. God
encourages us to seek the Christ in our midst, and be changed by its presence.
Because we
will be changed. We will live our lives in a different way, once we have
engaged with the divine presence before us. How on earth - literally - could we
not be? The wise men were changed, almost immediately: "warned by the
Spirit in a dream, they left by a different route." Did they go home? Was
home the same? Were the people the same? Or was the entirety of their lives
transformed by having committed themselves to the journey, and by having seen
and worshiped Jesus?
I think of
the ending of T.S. Eliot's poem The
Journey of the Magi, which reads "[w]e returned to our places, these
kingdoms, / but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, / with an
alien people clutching their gods."
The journey
changed them. The Spirit led them. Their relationship with the world was different
because their relationship with God had grown.
So too, our
lives will be changed. God touches our hearts in a way that makes us see the
world differently. When we look back, we can see how God has brought to us
people and circumstances where we knew that joy of being in the holy presence.
We know that God continues to reveal miracles to us today. And we know that God
wants for us to keep looking, and praying, and trusting, and discerning the
journey.
Make no
mistake: the Spirit will continue to speak to us, thanks be to God. Whether we
see a star or are visited in a dream or have a stirring in our hearts: the
Spirit is always enticing us along our journey, to be closer and closer to
Jesus Christ, son of God.
I pray we
have the grace and the courage to embrace God's invitation to the journey,
living as shining examples of the glory of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment